Badminton legend and Olympic bronze medal winner Saina Nehwal has announced that she and her husband, former shuttler Parupalli Kashyap, have amicably decided to separate. The news was shared in a tearful Instagram post late Sunday evening.
"Life leads us in various directions at times. After careful contemplation and deliberation, Kashyap Parupalli and I have mutually decided to go our separate ways. We're opting for peace, growth, and healing – for ourselves and for each other," Saina wrote.
She also stated, "I thank you for the memories and wish nothing but the best for the future. Thank you for understanding and respecting our privacy at this time."
The pair, who got married on December 14, 2018, had a rich history between them that they shared at the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad, where they trained together. While Saina etched her name in history books by being India's first Olympic medallist in badminton and attaining the world No. 1 ranking, Kashyap also made an impression by moving into the top 10 in the world and winning gold in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Since stepping away from competitive competition at the start of 2024, Kashyap has moved into coaching, carrying on involvement in the sport albeit in a different form.
Saina, aged 35 now, had hinted at retirement towards the close of 2023. She has not played since a first-round exit at the Singapore Open in June of that year. In an honest appearance on Gagan Narang's House of Glory podcast, she discussed coping with arthritis and her opinions regarding retirement. "I am also considering it," she said regarding retiring, noting that she would reassess her plans nearer the end of 2025.
One of Indian sport's greatest legends, Saina Nehwal is the nation's first Olympic badminton medallist with her London 2012 bronze. She was also the first Indian to have gotten to the final of the Badminton World Championships and to have won the BWF World Junior Championships.
Her impressive accolades are popularly attributed to having encouraged a generation of Indian shuttlers and putting India on the world map in badminton in the last decade.
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